Shopping with Your Kids - Chicago with Kids - page 239

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floor, all of which ar e open to the public (and wor th a look for interior design junkies).
Public tours of the whole complex ar e offer ed once a w eek, usually on F ridays ($12
adults; & 312/527-7762 for dates and reservations).
Lincoln Park
I highly recommend shopping with kids in leafy Lincoln P ark. Sidewalks are filled with
parents and str ollers on a w eekend afternoon, giving this N orth Side neighborhood a
warm, family vibe. Here you'll find a variety of specialty shops, most of which are found
on the neighborhood 's main commer cial ar teries: Armitage A venue, Webster Avenue,
Halsted Street, Clark Street, and Lincoln Avenue.
For kids, the highest concentration of stor es is found on Armitage Avenue and Hal-
sted S treet, which form one of the finest 19th-centur y neighborhood commer cial
streetscapes r emaining in Chicago . The district contains an ex cellent cr oss section of
residential and commercial building types significant in the development of such streets,
including small r esidential buildings and larger , multistory mixed-use buildings, and is
especially note worthy for the pr ofusion of pr essed-metal decoration, including bays,
cornices, and corner turrets on many of the buildings.
Armitage Avenue has emerged as a shopping destination in its own right, thanks to an
influx of wealthy young professionals who have settled into historic to wn homes on the
neighboring tree-lined streets. The main shopping district is concentrated betw een Hal-
sted Street and Racine Avenue; I'd suggest starting at the Armitage El stop (Brown Line)
and working your way east to Halsted Street, and then wandering a fe w blocks north to
Webster Street. The shops and boutiques her e, which sell ev erything from artisan-made
apparel to interesting, offbeat gifts, ar e geared toward a sophisticated, w ell-heeled shop-
per, and make for great browsing. As you stroll the area, you'll get some sense of its strong
community spirit, with neighbors greeting each other and catching up on street corners.
To give you a sampling of the number of children's boutiques in this area, clothing stores
include The S econd Child, G apKids, and LMNOP. All ar e co vered in detail under
“Fashion,” later in this chapter.
Lakeview
A few major north-south thoroughfares—Lincoln Avenue, Clark Street, and Broadway—
are the main shopping streets in both Lincoln Park (south of Diversey Pkwy.) and Lake-
view (nor th of D iversey). M ost of the shops cater to y

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oung singles who liv e in the

Finds P amper Yourself

Mom, you need a little treat for yourself, too—take a break at one of the beauty
stores concentrated within a few blocks of each other on Halsted Street. The
mood is flashy and hip at Fresh, 2040 N. Halsted St. ( & 773/404-9776 ), where
the sleek shelves are filled with skin treatments, at-home spa supplies, and their
own line of cosmetics. To get really creative, visit cozy Aroma Workshop, 2050 N.
Halsted St. ( & 773/871-1985 ), where you can mix up your own custom-scented
body lotions and perfumes. A few blocks south, you can browse the all-natural
soaps, creams, and bubble baths at Lush, 859 W. Armitage Ave. ( & 773/281-
LUSH [281-5874]).